Ted MacTaggart's overbearing father is still trying to control his life, even from the grave. His will insists that, in order to inherit the family company, MAC Superior, Ted must be married by his twenty-fifth birthday -- and the marriage has to be "real." As in the board of MAC has to sign off on it.<br><br>Ted could fight the will, but then the handsome, artistic Ryan Costa, an old friend from school days walks back into his life, offering to be his groom-of-convenience. Ted draws up the contracts and Ryan, who has family medical bill problems, agrees gladly to the terms. Ted, emotionally walled off and afraid of his attraction to Ryan, also suggests they should keep their relationship strictly professional. Caring for people has always proven a weakness for him. Now isn't the time to start.<br><br>It's not long before Ryan's charm breaks through Ted's walls, but Ted isn't his own worst enemy in this case. Other forces are vying for MAC Superior, and even when their relationship is becoming the real deal, its shaky foundations land Ryan and Ted in trouble.

Poor Little Rich Boy

Ted, for some reason, laughed too. He hushed them both quickly. “Shh, she might still be looking for me!”


“So what if she finds us?” Ryan’s hand settled on Ted’s hip.


Ryan leaned closer, his breath like whiskey from their earlier shots, hot on Ted’s ear. “She’ll just think we hid in here to make out. Adds credence to the whole engagement thing. It has to look real,right?”


Ted’s throat constricted, but he managed to squeeze out. “I suppose.”


Ryan’s other hand gripped Ted’s lapel. Ryan said, “Sorry, trying to find you so I don’t step on you.”


Ted cleared his throat, but it still felt tight. A sudden sense of panic that had nothing to do with claustrophobia seized his insides. “I can’t believe I’m hiding like a child…”


“I can.” Ryan laughed again, puffs of air against Ted’s cheek. “She looked intense.”


Chapter 14